Jan 19 2017

Pickle ponderings. The history of the pickle may surprise you

When munching on something a little bizarre, do you ever find yourself wondering how the hell it came about that this food was conceived? Who on Earth first pried razor sharp shells off a rock, smashed them open to reveal something that resembled living, breathing snot, proceeded to consume this salty snot and concluded that the oyster was a culinary delight?

Today I found myself pondering the pickle. How did this much-loved fast food accompaniment (or midnight straight out of the jar, possibly dipped in ice cream snack) come to be? Being a stickler for very useful information I set out to research the not-so-humble pickle and I must say I’m very impressed with the history of our crunchy tangy friends.

You know you’ve made it as a food when none other than Jesus himself mentions you in the bible. Twice! The pickle has been around since approx. 2030 BC (we must remember to have a massive pickle party in 2030). It is believed the ancient Mesopotamians pickled by way of preserving foods for trade purposes. Cucumbers are Indian natives and past pickle processes began in the Tigris Valley.

Pickle publicists did a pertinent promotion because perplexingly, pickle popularity perpetuated. No porky pies, pickles feature in Shakespearean plays. George Washington had a collection of 476 different types of pickle.

Aristotle and Julius Caesar were pickle peddlers who praised the cured cucumbers for their healing properties.

Among that line-up of celebrity pickle fans is also Cleopatra, who thanked the pickle for the part it played in preserving her good looks.

Peter piper even picked a peck of pickled peppers…whatever that means.

Today the peculiar pickle pandemic continues.Since 1948 the US has celebrated International Pickle week annually over ten days every May. Over half of all the cucumbers in the USA wind up pickled. Americans consume a mere 26 billion pickles every year.Well, paint me green and call me a cucumber; that’s a lot of pickles!

Thankfully, all this pickle gluttony is a positive. Not to be patronised, pickles are packed with nutrition. Naturally fat free, pickled vegetables feature good bacteria that inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria in the intestines. They are high in vitamin C, assist you to absorb iron and can even help you with weight loss (this obviously depends on what you’re eating them with).

So next time you’re treating yourself to a hotdog, pack on the pickles and reflect upon the long and colourful history of our lovable and surprisingly interesting little green mates.

Jan 05 2017

3rd Degree Chilli Burns: Know your Hot Sauce

Hot sauce for some is an obsession. You can become addicted to a certain kind of searing pain. When the world slows and turns a crimson shade, your heart rate doubles and your eyes and nose well with liquid regret. Your mind is racing trying to pinpoint the pinnacle of your discomfort…will it start to dissipate now? Will it get worse? Have I gone too far this time?

Chilli burn can take you on a bizarre journey through a colourful Simpson’s landscape accompanied by dilated pupils and a salsa music panic in a matter of seconds. What’s not to love?!

1912 was a significant year.

The first female detective in the US was appointed.

The South Pole was discovered, many brave explorers perished.

The Titanic sunk.

William Bragg did something to brag about that I don’t understand which paved the way for imaging the double helix of DNA.

Casimir Funk identified vitamins. Why are there not any vitamins named “funky?”

Wouldn’t it be more fun to remember to take your morning dose of funky? Sorry, I digress…

Pope John Paul I was born and a guy named Wilbur Scoville invented the Scoville heat scale; a unit for measuring chilli heat.

The method involves adding sugar to a solution until you can no longer taste the chilli. The more sugar, the more pungent the spice and the higher the rating on the scale. This 1912 method has outlived modern technologies of spice heat measurement, unlike polar expedition methods and cruise liner capacities.

So, if you’re one of those “just gotta have more chilli coz I love a good third degree chilli burn” people, get some chilli sauce on ya dog n chips!
Fire and dog-lovers drool over our El Yucateco Hot Sauces which perfectly pair with our specially made sausages. Top sellers in our merchandise store, Kutbilik hot sauce at 11,600 scorching Scoville heat units packs a punch you’re bound to remember. If you’re a little more of a conservative chilli nut, the Red Hot Sauce at a simmering 5,790 Scoville heat units might be more your style.

How far up the Scoville heat scale are you willing to climb?

Dec 08 2016

Sustainably Sourced Meat What is It and Why Eat It?

It’s simple and natural. Free range cattle produce better beef and healthier milk products. They don’t require a consistent addition of antibiotics to ward off infections like those confined to feedlots do. They don’t need to be injected with serotonin to make them happy, they are happy to be free as all creatures should be.

Grass is the natural food for cud chewers and when the corporations replace that with grain the levels of vitamin A and E fall as do many necessary minerals that are antioxidants. This lowers the animals’ natural resistance to diseases like cancer and serious infections. The cholesterol level in grazing cattle is lower than those held prisoner on large corporate farms too.

Dairy cows are continually impregnated to increase production. They are injected with hormones and now serotonin to increase calcium in the final product. What happens when they can no longer supply calves and milk- they are sent to the butcher shop for consumers to purchase the leftovers?

People all over the world must ask themselves how we allowed this to happen. The level of injected substances are all approved and labeled as safe, but how much of those chemicals are we consuming in the beef and dairy products? It’s one thing to see this photo of cattle eating the grain, but when you realize they never leave that spot for their entire life it is a whole different horror story!

Finally, thanks to conscientious consumers, a few countries are paying attention. Canada and Australia have increased the availability of free range beef. This results in balanced omega levels which improve the taste as well as the digestibility. Humans will benefit from the changes as much as the cows do.

The initial cost of returning cows to pasture is said to be expensive, how? Open the feedlot gates and let them go. Regardless, it is worth the price and if consumers continue to demand the best more small farmers will flourish and the cost will come down.

Free range cattle Recently there was a video produced showing cows being released from feedlots into a cow pasture. It was a rude awakening for many viewers. The cows were dancing around, rubbing their heads in the grass and running free for the first time in years. We, the meat eaters of the world, have to be willing to sacrifice convenience and cheap meat in order to achieve a healthier happier habitat for all.

Nov 24 2016

Schoolies Sausage Fest! The survival guide

What?…What’s wrong with that title? I’m merely referring to the obliterating amount of sausages our Gold Coast branch is expected to churn out over the certifiably crazy next couple of weeks.

As schools of schoolies, toolies, foolies & hoolie-doolie’s converge the air is blazing with new found freedom, teenage hormones, sunburn and glow sticks. There are many bad choices that can be made with such a cocktail, arm yourself with this survival guide as you let loose and party. We’re all stocked up and ready to do our bit.

Think and Drink

The reward for hard work doesn’t need to involve killing off every brain cell that got you through your exams. No brain cells doesn’t put you in great stead for the workforce, have fun by all means; but know your limits and avoid over-doing it. Let’s have shots! Don’t have shots…go get hotdogs.

No swimming!

The ocean is dangerous enough in the daytime. Going for a dip in the dark with the sharks while fully clothed and inebriated is a little risky. As tempting as the crashing black waves are and the hidden rips and slimy creatures lurking below the surface may be, we suggest a shower instead.

Let’s go for a swim! Nah…go get hotdogs.

Beware the drink and ink

Making any decision while drunk is dangerous; permanently etching something into your skin is just plain daft. Yes Johnno might be hot and yes, you are a free spirit; but don’t get caught up in the moment and brand yourself with something dumbass. Let’s get tattoos! No no no… go get hotdogs!

Look out for each other

Schoolies is about celebrating with your friends. It’s about moving into adulthood and on to the next chapter in your lives. Keep an eye on your mates and help them make the right choices so you have an experience you’ll remember forever for the right reasons. You know where to turn when you have the ‘drunchies!’ (drunk munchies).

Let’s get food! YEAH get hotdogs! How many hotdogs will we sell? Time will tell. If the GC branch survives to tell the tale we’ll let you know.

Stay safe schoolies!

Nov 18 2016

From frankfurter to 21st century dog – the hot dog’s history is a mystery

It starts with a sausage
The humble sausage dates back as far as the 9th century BC with the processed meat product getting a mention in Homer’s Odyssey. But the true origin of the hot dog is somewhat of a mystery.

While Frankfurt-Am-Main in Germany is credited with innovating the Frankfurter, some dispute that the “dachshund,” or “little dog” was borne by a butcher in Coburg in the 1600’s. Johann Georghehner reportedly travelled to Frankfurt to promote his sausage product.

Johann will be pleased to know that in the US about 20 billion hot dogs are devoured every Summer! That’s more than 800 dogs per second. 155 million are woofed down on the 4th July alone.

When did the bun come into it?

No one knows who first stuffed the sausage into a roll. Was it the German immigrant who sold his sausages with milk rolls and Sauerkraut from his New York push cart in the 1860’s?

Or was it Charles Feltman, Coney Island hot dog stand owner whose first years of business saw him sell 3,684 dachshund sausages in a milk roll in 1871?

Surely it could have been the Bavarian Concessionaire Anton Feuchtwanger who used to loan white gloves to his patrons so they could hold his piping hot snags. This not being financially viable, Anton’s brother, the baker, helped replace the gloves with a long white roll; much to the dismay of the glove maker.

Who coined the name “hot dog?”

Hot dog historian & Roosevelt Uni Professor Bruce Kraig recall’s the legend of Tad Dorgan, New York Journal cartoonist. Dorgan apparently observed “hot dachshund sausage” vendor Harry Stevens selling his wares at a New York polo game. He illustrated the scene with a dachshund dog in a bun. Spelling not being his forte, he titled the drawing “Get your hot dogs,” rather than attempting the word “dachshund,”

Given that no-one has found a copy of this cartoon, this may well be an embellished memory recalled in Stevens’ obituary. Why let the truth get in the way of a good story?

What we know about the hot dog today

So highly regarded, Franklin D Roosevelt served frankfurters to England’s king George VI when he visited the US in 1939. Hot dogs were also the first food consumed on the moon with Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin munching dogs on their 1969 expedition.

With a history shrouded in mystery it’s no wonder we’re drawn into a love affair with the tasty hot dog. We trust that through relentless and shameless self-promotion, future historians will hold no confusion as to the origin of the famous 5 Dogs that took Australia by storm in the teens of the 21st Century.

Should Australia have a National Hot Dog Day? Your comments please